FateKaleido Switch
by kazamitempest
Summary: A what-if story in which Waver summons a different Servant, in the events of Fate/Zero. (On-hold until I get any ideas at all, sorry)
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: This fic starts right on the timing for the Servant Summon - Up until that point, everything is canon. Waver stole the relic for Iskandar, all that stuff. Also, the summoning chant is slightly altered in translation, and I skipped part of it due to Waver only chanting from there onwards originally.**

 **This assumes you know canon, but I will get around to actually making it coherent for someone who doesn't later - in the form of basic explanations I'll write elsewhere, without spoiling the canon storyline.**

 **Waver's PoV**

After preparing the summoning circle for the ritual, I take a deep breath.

If everything goes right, this will summon Alexander the Great. This will be my chance to prove to magi like Kayneth that my theory is worth giving some thought-

...Sigh, I did it again. Every time since then, I can't stop thinking about how easily he dismissed my theory, and that just gets me angry.

Getting angry would solve nothing - I need to keep myself calm.

As I mentally tell myself this, also starting to brace myself for whatever might happen once my Servant is summoned, and decided to start chanting.

" _Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill._

 _Repeat every five times._

 _But, when each is filled, destroy it."_

Taking a deep breath, both to get the timing of the chant right, and to calm down, because I've almost started thinking about what-ifs during the chant...I tell myself that there's nothing that could be done about that right now, to reassure myself, and continue chanting.

" _...I announce._

 _My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny._

 _If you heed the call of the Holy Grail, and you abide by my feeling, my reason, then answer._

 _I hereby swear…_

 _That I shall be all the good in the world._

 _That I shall defeat all the evil in the world._

 _You, seven heavens clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, O keeper of the balance…!"_

As the summoning circle begins to glow, I feel a surge of tension, of adrenaline, well up within me.

The ritual is working as intended, and soon, Alexander the Great himself will be summoned as my Servant…

...Or so I thought.

When the Servant that was summoned showed up, I was shocked.

My first thought was that there is no way Alexander the Great was a little girl.

It took me more than a second to even manage to think clearly that this girl certainly wasn't Alexander the Great.

...After more than just a few moments of staring at her in shock, she decided to speak for the first time.

"Umm, are you my Master?"

That was also unexpected. Since this was a Servant, I figured she would seem more...Powerful. Imposing, even...but out of the many expectations I may have had, this was not even close to them.

Such a frail-looking girl, who isn't even, apparently, filled with confidence like some magi seem to be.

And her clothing doesn't seem to be even remotely close to what any Servant would wear. She looks, by all means, like a normal young girl - with a rather childish, but still feminine, casual pink dress...For modern standards.

...Is this even going to work out?


	2. Chapter 1

**?'s PoV**

 _I always thought magic was something that looked exciting._

 _But, no matter how much I had desired or liked the idea of magic, no matter how my expectations about how it felt to have magic were..._

 _...There is no way a normal girl like me would ever be prepared to what it really was like._

 _After suddenly being thrown into a world of magic, heroes, mirror worlds, and cards, any similar girls, who liked the kind of magic you'd see in some kind of Magical Girl anime, would probably have the reaction I did._

 _I wanted to deny it, and just go back to my normal life…_

… _But, thankfully, I didn't._

 _Back then, I fought alongside Miyu against what seemed like an impossible foe._

 _Not too long after that, I met Kuro. We fought at first, but eventually managed to understand each other._

 _After that, a lot happened. Sad moments, happy moments. Bad situations, good situations…_

 _...And to think, I'd never have met any of them, would never have helped Miyu, would never have understood Kuro, if it wasn't for the very same magic I wanted to deny at first..._

 _That I didn't have long to live as a result of most of my reckless battles was kind of expected…_

 _...But looking back, I definitely don't regret anything that happened since meeting Ruby._

 _If anything, I just wanted to be able to stay with them a little while longer…_

* * *

After dying, I was somehow sent to the Throne of Heroes - probably because of my battles against the Class Cards, or even some of the other battles from the past.

When I arrived, as soon as my eyes cleared, starting to looked around...I got a headache, and after that, simply...knew...where this was. As if the information was there all along.

Anyways, now, having too much time, and not a lot to do, the only things I could do were to just think about my past, and sleep...Or get as close to sleeping as a spirit could.

But more importantly, it is a really lonely experience. I want, no, need, to do something, need to meet someone, anyone, need to do more than just sit here doing nothing.

As I was thinking that, starting to feel a slight headache...It felt more like someone was pulling my consciousness somewhere. I'm not exactly great at recognizing that kind of feeling, but that's how it would feel like, probably.

Not long afterwards, I was somewhere else. Of all places...in a forest?

It sure looked like a forest...But before being able to think anything else, I felt a headache, this time similar to the kind of headache that happened when arriving at the Throne of Heroes.

The information came, and then I suddenly knew my situation, like last time.

In one way, I'm really scared now, with all that knowledge. This is the Holy Grail War, the same thing my parents tried to stop, after all.

But if a wish can really be granted by the Grail, and it's not a Grail that feels...wrong, like the one my parents disabled was…

...Then I want to live just a little longer than before, just spend a little more time with my friends... And if it's the same Grail they tried to disable, the least that could be done is disabling it in their place.

I looked around, trying to see who my Master was. It didn't take long for me to see a young man, still older than I was when I died, looking at me in shock…

That must be him. He's the only person I see nearby. But still, maybe I should confirm it first…Thinking that, I started speaking up, feeling a bit awkward at the silence.

"Umm, are you my Master?"

He kept looking at me in shock for a few more moments, and he seemed to frown for a short moment before replying.

"Yes, I am...But, what is your Class?"

After a moment of trying to look for the answer to that question, in the knowledge about the Grail War that had been added to my brain...I replied, somewhat awkwardly, as he was still a stranger.

"Uhm, I've been summoned as Caster...Nice to meet you…?"

He sighed. Did I do something wrong?

While wondering about that, I started looking a little more around me...and noticed a circle of blood around me...Probably chicken blood, if the...two chicken bodies I saw nearby were any indication...

That was more than enough for me to start wondering if I was safe or not, until he frowned and replied.

"Haah...I'm Waver, Waver Velvet. I'm not sure if it's is a good idea to ask this, but what hero were you in life?"

Oh. So I didn't do anything wrong, but he was expecting something else.

After realizing that I looked like a normal girl right now, I thought that was to be expected. He probably expected some kind of strong-looking warrior…Not someone like me.

I decided to try to explain my situation. He did seem a little friendly, and was probably just surprised. So, after a moment of trying to convince myself that he was not a bad person, and trying to sound as confident as possible, I replied.

"I'm Illya. I'm not sure you'd know my full name even if it was mentioned...but I do want to introduce myself properly. You don't need to worry about me being weak, probably...I may not look very strong right now, but a lot of things happened in my life, and I did things that some people thought impossible, so…"

I tried to sound confident, but ended up sounding pleading, didn't I…

Then again, it's not like I'm really all that confident, am I? Rin-san and Luvia-san usually seemed confident, even Miyu and Kuro did, but, thinking back, my own attempts at being confident like that didn't work out...After all, I just do my best, and hope that it's enough.

While I was thinking that, he sighed, frowned some more, then replied.

"Well, since you're my Servant now, it would be better to know at least a little more about you than just your name...But we don't have that much time. It's late, and my 'Grandparents' are probably going to notice something is wrong if I stay out any further. Can you astralize, and follow me? Once we're there we can probably discuss things in more detail."

I nodded, seeing no reason not to do that, and astralized. It felt weird...and in a way that I can't explain too well… Still feeling alive, but not feeling things like the wind blowing around me anymore, I guess? I still feel my feet touching the ground, though.

I figured that this would feel natural later... So, brushing off the awkward feeling, I started moving, following Waver back to his Grandparents' house. While I'm still a little wary of him, he seems like a nice person. He didn't shout at me or demand anything, like surely some other Masters might, if even a few of the stories from the Grail War I heard about were true...

So, after following him in silence for what seemed like at least 15 minutes, which was enough time to get used to the feeling of astralizing, we arrived at a wooden house. Not long after we arrived, an old man, probably his Grandpa, appeared.

After a short exchange, which was just Waver giving an excuse for being out and his Grandpa accepting it, we entered the house. Waver told his Grandpa he was tired, probably to be able to talk with me as soon as he could, and went upstairs, while I followed him.

Once we were on his room, he closed and locked the door, and started speaking with me again, this time, almost as quietly as a whisper.

"Well, since you're going to be my Servant for this Grail War, I need to have a basic idea of what you can do before anything. Since you're a Caster, we'll need to plan accordingly. So, what can you do?"

Understanding that he probably didn't want to talk loudly enough to be heard by anyone else, I explained how my magic works, and, for some reason, he was looking at me, shocked. Then he fainted.

 **Author's Notes: Whew, that was kind of easy, yet difficult, to write. Took about two to three days to write this, because of being stuck near the end, but would've taken more or less a few hours if I hadn't.**

 **So, yeah, so far this was mostly the introduction, a bit of foreshadowing, and some backstory. I'm hoping for a few reviews at least - to see if I'm doing it right. Suggestions and criticism are both welcome - but please, if you don't have anything to add beyond 'This sucks' in the criticism side, it's better if you don't post it.**

 **I'm still working out the details of her powers and also a few other changes. So, don't expect too quick updates, please. I'll do my best to not allow this fic to die, but it won't exactly be all that fast at updating, so keep that in mind, please.**

 **Also, I figured I'd make it less obvious whose point of view it was for non-fans, so I edited the PoV line into what it currently is. That one line is subject to change, if anyone knows a better way to do it than "?'s PoV" that is.**

 **Thanks for reading, and hopefully you've enjoyed this story so far.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Waver's PoV**

 _I saw a young girl. She was having a mundane day - going to school, talking to friends, going back home...That kind of thing._

 _It seemed so mundane, I could barely even associate it with Caster._

 _As I made that connection, though, I realized I was dreaming about her past, or, more specifically, having a vision of it._

 _It wasn't entirely uncommon for that to happen, because of the connection that a Master and a Servant share, but I wonder just how such a normal girl even managed to do...everything she said she did._

 _Dismissing that thought, for the moment, I turned my attention back to what was happening in this vision._

 _After noticing something, she started looking outside the window with the lights off, to try and see something she noticed in the dark of the night, on the sky._

 _After a very awkward moment in which her brother entered the bathroom thinking she had left… I saw the unlikely encounter between her and a...magical wand? Which immediately attacked her brother by flying onto his face upon arriving through the window, instantly knocking him out._

 _So, a rather...weird magical wand. One that speaks, and is very... Haah, I'm not even sure what to think about how it acts._

 _And apparently, it's cunning too, I thought, as I saw that the wand was deliberately teasing the girl about her love to get her flustered..._

 _...For the sake of completing a contract. And it succeeded...Resulting in the girl getting a rather awkward outfit through the wand's magic. Though, considering she was bathing before the wand showed up, that's probably less awkward than the previous situation. I still feel kind of bad for her now, anyway. Maybe I should be kinder to her once I'm awake…_

 _Shaking myself out of those thoughts for the time being, I watched on._

 _I saw the wand's previous Master, which was probably a magus, ask for it back, more kindly than what I would expect from most magi...At least, until the wand was extremely rude to her, and somehow glued itself to the girl's hand...Not only that, but it tricked the girl into attacking the magus. What a cunning wand..._

 _After that, the girl blacked out, because of a point-blank Gandr spell. Courtesy of the previous Master of the wand. I winced at the sight, and, as she blacked out, my dream did too. It seems I can only see what she had experienced. Still, as a magus I must admit that Gandr was fairly powerful._

 _It was for just a moment, though, as I watched her wake up, and, while still not quite awake, she was told by the wand's previous master, quite bluntly, which fits my image of a magus better, about her situation._

 _That she had no right to refuse. If she wanted to blame anyone, she was to blame the wand. And that she had to do the job of the magus for her, collecting something she called Class Cards._

 _I saw the girl's eyes widen slowly at those words, and it only made me feel worse about the neutral tone I addressed her with._

 _She wasn't imposing, and, since I was still half expecting that she had a background similar to most Servants despite her looks, I decided to act like a proper magus would…_

 _...And that isn't exactly the friendliest of the ways I could've used to treat her with. The Clock Tower is full of that neutral, somewhat icy tone, and I usually don't agree with the atmosphere it gives off, either._

 _I was getting angry at my luck back then, and couldn't bring myself to care about her situation, I realized…after all, I was expecting Alexander the Great to be summoned, not a little girl like her._

* * *

Just as I realized that, I woke up from that dream about her past.

I still remember it clearly, so maybe I'll see more of her past eventually?

As I thought that, I looked around. Surprisingly, I wasn't on the ground, or feeling uncomfortable, after waking up. It seems she had carried me to my bed while I was unconscious, which would be completely unbelievable if she wasn't a Servant, and yet, even though she is one, still is rather hard to believe because of her small frame and the fact she is a Caster.

After a while of looking around, I noticed that the sun was already rising, and that Caster was currently staring at one of the magazines I had on my room, looking somewhat shocked. So, I figured I should greet her and ask what was wrong.

"Good morning, Caster... What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."

As I said that, she looked at me, apparently somewhat flustered, and quickly replied...A bit too quickly, even.

"Huh? Oh, well, there's nothing wrong, nothing at all...Ahahaha"

She said that, scratching the back of her head, while doing a rather forced sheepish laugh...Very suspicious, but I'll leave it be for now. So, deciding that, I changed topics.

"Okay, so, we need to do some planning for the Grail War later, but I think we can leave that for the afternoon. After all, not every Servant was summoned yet, so it isn't officially started. Since I'm hiding you from my 'Grandparents'...Oh, their names are Glen and Martha, by the way. Anyways, since I'm doing that, I thought I'd ask if you need, or would like to, well, eat breakfast at all…I could ask them to eat upstairs, or something, and bring your share...or something..."

Well, that was awkward to ask, and I started to hunt for words as I tried to elaborate…I mentally sighed when I had that thought.

Since she's, in a way, a spirit, I don't know if she needs to eat. But, feeling a bit badly about what I saw of her past, I decided the least I could do was to offer breakfast...And of course, I couldn't do that in a natural way...That makes sense, though. I don't know her too well, and I guess she knows even less about me.

Yet, despite my rather awkward suggestion she replied, with a bright smile on her face.

"Yes, that'd be great! Thank you."

That was enough to make me feel less awkward, both about the way I suggested it and about how I treated her yesterday.

So, I went to the bathroom, to start fixing my clothes, and to wash my hands. Once I was done, I headed downstairs.

* * *

I was greeted, rather enthusiastically, by Martha.

"Good Morning, Waver! Breakfast is already ready. By the way, you're up rather early today! I expected you to sleep until later, today, since Glen told me about how you left the house very late yesterday. Did you sleep well enough?"

As she said that, I noticed the worried tone she used for that question. I feel kind of bad for making Martha worry like this, but it can't be helped.

I reassured her, telling her that I am feeling alright, and she nodded.

"That's alright, then. Just make sure you're taking care of yourself. Anyways, what do you want today? I made pancakes because Glen asked, but I was already preparing some bacon and eggs when he did - so we have more prepared than usual today."

I'm in luck, it seems. It's not every day that she makes extra food, after all, Glen usually isn't looking forward to anything specific. I wonder if anything happened...Well, I guess that doesn't matter too much.

So, I asked her to give me a little of both, but also asked her if it was fine to give me some more than usual. I explained that by saying I needed to study, and wanted to eat while studying. I also said I needed to eat more than usual because I woke up feeling very hungry.

Martha was about to complain, but Glen, who was already in the table, gave me an understanding nod, then told her...

"What's the problem, Martha? If the boy wants more food then we should give him it. He's a growing boy after all."

That made me feel a little awkward, as he seemed a little sad while saying that.

But with that, Martha agreed, despite looking a little sad, and gave me two rather generously filled plates, one of pancakes, the other of bacon and eggs. Thanking her, I went back upstairs, one plate on each hand.

* * *

When I reached my room, Caster was looking intently at the television for some reason, watching the news.

I didn't even have enough time to see what was being broadcasted, because as soon as I went inside, she turned the TV off, and greeted me.

"Oh, you're back! Thanks for offering me breakfast, really. I wasn't exactly expecting that, since spirits don't need to eat…"

With that, she trailed off. Well, looking from her point of view, I was probably not that kind of person, considering how I treated her yesterday.

So, with that in mind, using the kindest tone I could manage, I said...

"Well, I'm glad you liked the idea. If you want to, we can have breakfast like this every day, for the time being. I admit I was acting rather coldly, yesterday...So I apologize for that. I hope you understand how I felt though."

While I said that, she seemed to brighten up. After I was done speaking, she quickly replied…

"Oh, that's okay. I don't really need to have breakfast every day. But it would be good to have a normal meal sometimes, I guess. And I understand, I don't exactly look like a hero, do I?"

Noticing how she was acting, I couldn't help but wonder how she even became a Heroic Spirit. From that dream, she seemed to be involved in magecraft, but that wouldn't really be enough to become one, normally.

So, while I was distracted by that line of thought, before I could stop myself, I asked…

"Come to think of it, how did you become a Heroic Spirit?"

Her somewhat happy smile quickly crumbled at those words, and with that, I inwardly grimaced. Trying to fix the situation, I added…

"Well, there's no need to say it if you don't want to…"

I trailed off with that. She gave me an understanding nod, though, and replied.

"No, it's okay. Since you summoned me, I kind of thought I'd need to tell you at some point, anyways… It's a rather long story, but… This is not the first Grail War I've been part of...I guess?"

She said all that, with a rather sad, somewhat longing tone. It took me a few moments to register the meaning of her words…

This is not the first Grail War she's been part of?

She does sound rather unsure about it, but assuming she's right...Does that mean that, somehow, she was part of one of the previous Grail Wars?

...But even then, her clothes are too modern for that. They seem brand new, not the kind of clothing you'd see 60 years ago…

While that gave me a lot to think about, I decided to be kind to her for the time being, and changed topics.

"Well, I guess we can leave that for later. We should eat breakfast before it's cold."

I said that, pointing at the food I had placed on a small table in the middle of my room.

After quickly nodding in agreement, she sat down near the table and started eating, a happy look on her face. I decided to follow suit and eat a little myself. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I felt it was important.

* * *

After eating breakfast, which went rather quickly and uneventfully, despite her initial surprise at the rather American meal, I decided it was time to plan our course of action for the Grail War.

With that line of thought, I asked her, rather awkwardly because of the conversation we had before breakfast…

"Uhm, we probably should start planning for the Grail War now, right?"

She nodded. Because she had agreed, I resumed...

"I remember what you told me yesterday, and, well…I had a very basic plan thought out."

She was looking intently at me, and I proceeded to explain my plan to her. It was a very basic plan, without much thought on specific situations. I just made sure she would not reveal her trump cards too early if possible, and gave some suggestions on how we should act.

After a few hours, we finished planning, and not long after that, the phone rang.

I answered it quickly, as it might be a message from the organizers of the Grail War. And, as expected, it was.

It seems every Servant was already summoned, and the War can now officially start. I feel goosebumps, but I'm certain that if we do this right, Caster and I can win the Grail War.

So, with that in mind, I went out, to gather information on the other Masters. Caster was right behind me, already astralized, because while Glen and Martha were already asleep, because of how late it is, it doesn't hurt to keep Caster hidden just in case.

Not too long after we left, I noticed my rat familiar's presence not too far away - coming directly to where I was. I wonder if it has any important information…

After all, I had left it spying on Tohsaka's mansion, as it was a location of great importance for the upcoming War. The Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families are all guranteed to participate, being the founders of the War, but I only knew where the Tohsaka and the Matou were located, and the Matou managed to somehow remove any familiars I sent that way.

I'm somewhat worried about what may be so important that could have happened within the Tohsaka's Bounded Field - right after the War started...But I'll leave worrying for after my familiar arrives and lets me know what happened.

Soon afterwards, my familiar arrived, chittering rather quickly to convey what happened. It seems there was a battle in Tohsaka's mansion right on the first day - and not only that, but Assassin was likely defeated in the process.

Unfortunately, my familiar couldn't see Tohsaka's Servant well enough to get any information on him, besides the fact he was golden and flashy...But, at any rate, I conveyed what I just learned to Caster, who seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, Caster replied.

"Well...I don't really know if that helps, but for now, I guess we're lucky… If Assassin is anything like what the one I fought was, though… We should be careful…"

She seemed to shudder at the thought - I wonder what happened in her War? Still unable to understand what she meant, though, I asked…

"What do you mean? Assassin is already dead, isn't he?"

She thought for a bit, and then replied.

"I hope I'm wrong about this, but if I'm not, and that was the same Assassin...There is probably more than one Assassin out there…"

I'm pretty sure my eyes widened in shock, as I realized the implications of that statement. If Assassin is not one individual, but rather an army of them...We might have not seen the last of them. Still, that is just one possibility.

So, with that in mind, and not having any more leads to follow for the night, I decided we should go back home, and figure out those two Servants later.

For now, it is confirmed that Tohsaka and his Servant will be a rather important pair of participants of the War, and Assassin might be done for, so that is more than enough.

It didn't take long before I arrived back home, with Caster right behind me, and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Well, this was somewhat slow to write, but I hope it was a decent chapter. The dream sequence was mostly meant to have Waver see Illya as a person more than just Caster.**

 **After that, I tried to split my goals in two.**

 **On the first half of it, I decided to focus on the interactions between Waver and Illya, while introducing Glen and Martha to canon-blind readers.**

 **And, on the second half, I went for plot progression. I hope I gave the right image on the chapter, overall. Next chapter should have things pick up quicker.**

 **Also, I'm glad that this story was so well-received so far! Out of the many reactions from the community I had expected, 10 reviews before I finished the second chapter was not one of them - and most seem positive up to this point! Thank you very much for the feedback, and I hope you continue enjoying this story!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Caster's PoV**

After all that happened, I still can't feel this is all real.

The Grail War is really going to happen. I'm a little scared but can't feel the situation too well yet.

Since the battle between Assassin and...Tohsaka's Servant happened, almost two days have gone by, and since then, it's been quiet, without much going on.

Still, I can't help but think I recognize that name. Tohsaka... But from where?

...Well, it probably doesn't matter too much. Tonight, Waver decided we should try scouting for other Masters. He seemed a little restless, but I can't really blame him, can I?

Anyways, after discussing a little how to go about this, it happened. I felt an aura of sorts somewhere else in the city. It felt like a Servant, and it seems he was trying to show every other Servant exactly where he was at. A challenge, maybe?

It feels sort of overwhelming, but I'm fine because I'm still far away. Either way, I decided it was better to let Waver know about that - he might be a better judge of how safe this is. After all, I only know about THAT Grail War, and it was very different than this one.

For one, it had Class Cards, and I think I would know if any of the Cards had a mind of their own. Besides Gil, they all looked like mindless monsters. In this Grail War it looks like they aren't. As I was summoned myself, it becomes easier to notice those differences.

Anyways, I decided this was as good a time as any to speak up, so I told Waver about that. He quickly replied.

"Well, that seems like a chance - but we need to be careful about this, okay? Can you manage to watch the battle without actually being close enough to be noticed?"

I thought about it, and figured if I don't actually use Ruby, it should probably be fine. I didn't think they would notice me, so I told Waver about that idea. He nodded in agreement.

He tried to ask to stay behind, for some reason, so I told him that no matter how strong I am, if I can't protect him, it's meaningless.

Because of that, my idea was that we should approach every battle together and never be too far away from each other. He agreed, but he looked scared of fighting. I can't really blame him, can I?

* * *

After that short strategy meeting, we left the house, trying to get to the aura's source as quickly as possible without being noticed. It didn't take long while we were on the way to notice another presence arriving. It could mean that another Servant accepted that Servant's challenge, but I'm not sure yet.

Not too long after that, we were almost there. It seems the other Servants were on the shipping yard, probably already fighting each other.

We arrived around midnight, and there are many spots with shadows next to the containers. I can think of a few places where people could be hidden, like that crane, but I'm not sure yet. I'll be careful of these places, though.

The moonlight is making the center of the area bright, and I can easily see the two Servants and a woman. I'm still approaching slowly, while trying to stay hidden, so I can't see them in too much detail yet, though.

Waver is following me as I walk towards the other Servants. He looks scared, so I smile at him, trying to reassure him. He seems to relax a little after that.

I feel a little worried about how this fight will turn out. But if every other Servant is like me - not a mindless beast, like the Class Cards seemed to be for the most part - I should probably be alright.

But, to think that, of all things, when I finally managed to see the battle, I'd see someone that looked like Mom, in snow-white winter clothing behind a Servant I'd have recognized anywhere... Saber. She looked exactly like the Class Card that appeared right after we fought Caster.

Though, I guess I can't think of her the same way as I thought of the Class Card back then. For one, she doesn't have that overwhelming, tainted aura.

And she definitely seems to be protecting the snow-clad woman. I assume she just looks exactly like Mom for some reason, at least, because I can't even think about what would happen if it really was her.

I wasn't expecting anything like that, that's for sure. While I was thinking that, I looked at Saber's opponent.

He is the Servant which had that rather overwhelming aura earlier. He looks a little flamboyant to be honest...And is wielding two spears, moving like he's dancing during the fight. Because of that, I decided to think of him as Lancer for now.

After talking a little, it seems he dropped one of his spears on the ground. What could he be planning?

I was a little worried about that, but it seems like Saber didn't notice. Once Saber's armor was pierced by the first spear, Lancer said the spear was able to cut through magic, and as a result, she removed her armor. But that's probably what Lancer was hoping for.

Since I was expecting something like that, I didn't feel too surprised when Lancer kicked the spear he had dropped off the ground and into his hands, and with a quick movement, stabbed Saber sideways.

She was wounded because of Lancer's move, and seemed to ask Mom's lookalike to do something...?

I think Saber asked for healing, because of how she moved, but I'm not sure. I did understand that for some reason the wound wasn't healing, though.

When Saber asked about it, Lancer confirmed that the spear he used prevents healing. It seems to be dangerous, but as long as I protect myself or dodge somehow, I should do fine if I fight him, as long as I do my best...Right?

Looks like Saber will lose if this doesn't stop. I don't know why, but I really don't want this battle to finish yet. I get a really bad feeling that if it does, things will go wrong quickly. So, even though this was completely different than what Waver told me to do, I decided to stop the fight, before it was too late.

I think he'll be angry later. Still, I decided to call Ruby over, because I had a feeling this would work, for some reason.

It looks like it did, because Ruby is now looking at me, as if she is about to cry...How do I even know what her expressions are like again?

Now I feel like some kind of Ruby specialist...I mean, she IS, in a way, a wand, but wands are not supposed to have expressions like that!

Looks like Ruby realized I wasn't going to say anything, because she started speaking a bit too loudly…

"How horrible of you, Illya-san! I was really sad that you weren't around anymore, and you suddenly call me over like this…"

I can't help but feel Ruby is not saying that seriously...But, feeling like this wasn't really the place or time for being so loud, I pointed at Saber and Lancer, as quickly as I could, and whispered…

"Ruby, don't you think we should leave this for later? You're being a bit too loud…"

I was worried that Ruby would have simply ignored me when I said that, but for some reason, it seems like Ruby agreed, because she stopped talking so loudly. She whispered back, after a little bit.

"Illya-san, it looks like you've been involved in quite a mess again, huh?"

I nodded, remembering how often it seemed like I was having peaceful days then suddenly being part of something like this...I feel a tiny bit nostalgic about that, though. After all, I still had Miyu and Kuro-

...It's no good to think about that right now. If I get to make a wish, I'll think about it then, and that's assuming the Grail is really going to grant that wish, or if it's even an object. I don't want to think about what-ifs, but what if this situation is like Miyu's?

Sigh, I can't help but think about Miyu and Kuro, and that makes me sad, but this is not exactly a good time for that. So, thinking that, I decided to ask Ruby if she could help me separate Saber and Lancer, and she agreed, looking a bit too eager.

Holding back a sigh at Ruby's eagerness, I prepared for battle with her help, switching to the Magical Girl outfit in the blink of an eye. To think I used to be so embarrassed about this outfit... It's frilly and pink, but it isn't that bad, I hope.

After thinking that, I tried to focus on the battle, which was about to start again. Trying to stop them, I sent a beam of magic towards them as they were charging at each other, and my spell pierced the ground with force, making a deep hole in the ground between them.

They both stopped what they were doing and looked at me in shock. I guess it's weird that I suddenly got in the way for them. And Waver being easy to spot because he's near me doesn't help. I mean, it's rather obvious he's my Master. But, before they could understand what was going on, I decided to speak up, summoning all the courage I could.

"Hey, Lancer. I suggest you leave this fight for later. I don't know why exactly, but I can't just let this end like this. It doesn't feel right."

There was a brief silence after I said that, and Saber and Lancer were looking at me warily. Deep in thought, I was trying to decide what to say next-

Suddenly, Ruby warned me about something - a bullet? It seems someone is trying to kill Waver. I can't let that happen!

So, I quickly asked Ruby to form a defensive barrier between the Bullet and Waver, not too far from him. Waver seemed shocked, trying to understand what was going on, I guess?

Anyways, the barrier managed to protect Waver by blocking the bullet and making it fall down without even a scratch to it. I'm glad that worked out... If Ruby wasn't able to form barriers from a distance, or the barrier was too weak, this could've been really bad… After all, the bullet looked weird.

Come to think of it, it's really good that Ruby is so versatile...I never thought about this before but she can do a lot of things, barriers that can protect from magical and physical attacks, magical blasts, and even making a blade suddenly appear, becoming a spear.

Shaking off those thoughts for the time being, I decided to complain out loud, because that was a very dirty and annoying move.

"Hey! What's the big idea, trying to aim for my Master right as I show up?"

Saber's eyes narrowed for some reason, after looking shocked at what happened for a bit. Right after that, someone who was apparently hidden nearby said...

"It seems we have more than one rat in our midst...Isn't that right, Waver Velvet-kun? And of course, the Magus Killer. I wouldn't think of any other so-called magus that would resort to that kind of unsightly method. And Waver-kun, it seems you stole my relic, and still didn't get the Servant it was meant to summon. It is truly deplorable that you would resort to stealing it, but this shows how third-rate magi will always be third-rate."

I was getting angrier at every word he said, and that comment about being a third-rate mage was the boiling point for me. Waver was rather nice to me those last few days, and he seemed to be cowering in fear of that person's voice, so, as a way to defend him, I began shouting.

"Hey, I don't get this about a relic too well, but there's no way I'd ever want to be summoned by you - and I think any Servant would think the same. You're too rude and arrogant. Waver is much better as a Master for me than you would ever be!"

There was a brief moment of silence after I shouted that. I was waiting for a reply-

At that moment, someone suddenly appeared, and I couldn't see who it was clearly. Still, whoever it was gave me a feeling that seemed to scream 'bad news'.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: So, that was the new chapter - it's slow, and mostly setup for what's to come, but I hope it was good overall.**

 **Things will heat up next chapter, and I wanted to set things up really well before that!**

 **I haven't touched yet a few things I've done foreshadowing for in the previous chapter, in case people noticed. I didn't forget about that - I just want to address it later, as I felt it didn't fit for this chapter yet.**

 **Also, if Illya feels a bit OOC in this chapter, let me know. I tried to make her rather sure of things unlike in the previous chapters because of the knowledge she received and the time she had to prepare, but let me know if it didn't work.**

 **Anyways, comments, reviews and criticism, I still welcome it all! And, as always, a reminder that I'm doing this with no buffer, and that means it may take a few days before the next chapter is around. Thanks for reading!**


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